Question 107·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Library of Alexandria was founded in the 3rd century BCE in Alexandria, Egypt, and was once the largest library of the ancient world.
- The collection at Alexandria was destroyed over time by multiple fires and conflicts, leaving no surviving scrolls.
- The Library of Ashurbanipal was assembled in the 7th century BCE in Nineveh (modern-day Iraq) by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal.
- Thousands of Ashurbanipal’s clay tablets were buried in palace ruins and rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19th century CE.
The student wants to emphasize a difference in what ultimately happened to the collections of the two libraries. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For “notes and purpose” questions, first read the task sentence very carefully and underline the key requirement (here, a difference in what ultimately happened to the collections). Then scan the notes to find only the information that matches that requirement (Alexandria’s collection destroyed with no surviving scrolls vs. Ashurbanipal’s tablets buried and later rediscovered). Next, quickly eliminate any answer that, while factually correct from the notes, focuses on the wrong aspect (time founded, location, size, etc.). Choose the option that both uses the relevant note details and directly fulfills the stated writing goal.
Hints
Focus on the exact goal
Underline the words “emphasize a difference” and “what ultimately happened to the collections.” Which parts of the notes talk about what happened to the collections in the end?
Find the fate of each library’s collection
In the notes, find what happened to the Library of Alexandria’s scrolls and what happened to the Library of Ashurbanipal’s clay tablets. How are those outcomes different?
Match the choices to that contrast
Eliminate any answer that talks mainly about when they were founded, where they were, or how big they were. Which choice instead focuses on the different final outcomes of the two collections?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
Focus on what the student wants to do: “emphasize a difference in what ultimately happened to the collections of the two libraries.”
So the right answer must:
- Compare the two libraries
- Focus on what happened to their collections in the end (their ultimate fate)
- Show a difference between them
Locate the relevant notes about the fate of each collection
Look back at the bullet points and find what they say about the end result of each collection:
- Library of Alexandria: “The collection at Alexandria was destroyed over time by multiple fires and conflicts, leaving no surviving scrolls.”
- Library of Ashurbanipal: “Thousands of Ashurbanipal’s clay tablets were buried in palace ruins and rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19th century CE.”
The key contrast: Alexandria’s scrolls did not survive, while Ashurbanipal’s tablets did survive and were later rediscovered.
Check each choice against the goal and notes
Now test each option:
- A compares collection size/amount (largest library; thousands of tablets), not what ultimately happened to the collections.
- C compares founding dates, not the fate of the collections.
- D compares locations, not what happened to the collections.
- Only one choice clearly contrasts the different final outcomes of the two collections.
Select the choice that contrasts the final outcomes
The only option that directly contrasts the destroyed scrolls of Alexandria with the surviving and rediscovered tablets of Ashurbanipal is:
Alexandria’s scrolls were destroyed over time, but Ashurbanipal’s clay tablets survived and were rediscovered centuries later.